Alpharetta Public Safety Officials Celebrate Victims' Rights

The Alpharetta Department of Public Safety is recognizing this as National Crime Victim’s Rights Week.

Alpharetta Public Safety Director Gary George said, “By participating in this program, we publicly acknowledge crime victims and remind others to support them and pledge to make the resources available to lessen their burden.”

National Crime Victim’s Rights Week is a program of the U.S. Department of Justice that seeks to raise public awareness to the prevalence of violence and crime within communities throughout America. The goal is to educate and make the public aware of victim’s rights and the available resources for each victim from each prosecution office in Georgia.

The rights of victims include the following, said George Gordon, spokesman for the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety:

• They have a right to be informed of the resources available,
• A right to be protected,
• A right to attend the trial,
• The right to be heard at the trial (victim impact statement),
• A right to be notified when the trial will occur and,
• The right to restitution costs.

Law enforcement officers will show their support for crime victims’ rights by either wearing or tying a dark blue ribbon to the antenna of their patrol vehicles throughout the week. Blue ribbons are the national symbol for crime victim’s rights.

The Alpharetta Department of Public Safety is partnering with Fulton County District Attorney Paul L. Howard and its partner public safety agencies to show support for this cause.